1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to emergency services, and in particular to an enhanced emergency services network that reduces the time required to obtain the data necessary to handle an emergency event. This invention further relates to an enhanced emergency services network which reduces the time required to determine the physical location of a calling station. The invention still further relates to an enhanced emergency services network having facilities of increased flexibility for obtaining the information required to handle an emergency event. The invention still further relates to an emergency services network which enables the introduction of new emergency services and which associates such new emergency services with emergency events served by the emergency services network.
2. Statement of the Problem
In the United States, basic 9-1-1 service is an emergency reporting service where a calling party can dial 9-1-1 in emergency situations. The call is answered at a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP, also known as a “Public Safety Access Point”). An operator at the PSAP converses with the calling party to determine information on the emergency situation. For instance, the operator may ask the calling party for his/her name, the nature of the emergency, and the location of the emergency, etc. Based on the information gathered by the operator, the operator then contacts emergency personnel to respond to the emergency.
Enhanced 9-1-1 service (E9-1-1) has the added feature of automatically providing the operator with some information on the calling party. For instance, E9-1-1 service includes the added features of Automatic Number Identification (ANI) and Automatic Location Identification (ALI). With Automatic Number Identification (ANI), the operator is automatically provided with telephone number of the phone placing the call for emergency services (e.g., a 9-1-1 call). With Automatic Location Identification (ALI), the PSAP, or another device, queries an ALI database for information on the physical location of the calling party's phone. An ALI database stores records of telephone numbers. A record in the ALI database contains information (such as a street address) on a physical location that corresponds with a telephone number. Responsive to a query from the PSAP, the ALI database returns the location information for the calling party. With the telephone number and the location information, the operator can more effectively handle the emergency call. Other countries have emergency services similar to this.
Traditional communication networks have a rigid architecture for providing emergency services. In a traditional communication network, a PSAP connects to a pair of ALI databases in the emergency services network. The PSAP connects to each ALI database over a dedicated point-to-point connection. The ALI databases are the only resources in the emergency services network that connect with the PSAP and that can serve a request from the PSAP. The PSAP is dependant on the pair of ALI databases as the interface to the emergency services network.
Traditional emergency services networks are vulnerable to undesirable delay in providing the PSAP with the information for handling emergency calls. For example, if the PSAP receives an emergency call, the PSAP queries the ALI database (using the ANI for the emergency call) for location information on the calling party. If the ALI database contains information for the ANI, then the ALI database may promptly return location information to the PSAP. However, if the ALI database does not contain information for the ANI (such as for a wireless call), then the ALI database needs to access other databases or systems to retrieve information for the ANI. The ALI database may not know which other databases or systems contain information for the ANI. Based on the ANI, the ALI database can transmit a query to a database or system that is more likely to contain information for the ANI. For instance, if the ANI indicates a wireless number for a particular wireless carrier, then the ALI database may transmit a query to a Mobile Positioning Center (MPC) or a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) for that wireless carrier. An MPC receiving the query may have to forward the query to another database, and so on until a database or system is reached that includes information for the ANI. The ALI database may spend precious time querying multiple databases or systems trying to locate information for an ANI.
Also, the ALI database may not know of new databases or systems that have been added to the emergency services network that can provide valuable information or services. The network structure is very tightly connected (via dedicated connections), and the addition of new emergency services requires an extensive re-work of network components.
Unfortunately, the ALI database takes time in finding what databases or systems contain information for the ANI. Also, the interchange of information between the ALI database and other databases consumes a finite amount of time during which the information required by the PSAP is not immediately available. Such delays are undesirable in emergency services networks, as the PSAPs need information as soon as possible to best handle emergency calls.